Building record BSE 748 - 83-84 Guildhall Street

Nos 83-84 Guildhall Street was built during the early 19th century between 1800 and 1823. From 18th century historical maps we can see that the site of nos. 83-84 Guildhall Street was previously occupied by an earlier dwelling that was subdivided into two tenements, each with a separate garden enclosure. A small number of reused timbers found within the property suggest that the original dwelling likely dated to the 16th-17th century. The two 3 storey dwellings with attics and cellars are virtually identical in plan form. The structure of the dwellings consists of a double pile arrangement parallel to Guildhall Street. The roof is almost entirely obscured from the street scene by a stone parapet wall that is very typical for a property of this date. The façade of the building was built with Suffolk white brickwork whereas the side walls were built with red brick. The rear walls are of flint with redbrick dressing. The ground floor façade to no.83 was entirely removed and replaced by a store frontage during the second half of the C20. The ground floor of each dwelling consisted of a street-facing drawing room flanked by an entrance hall with a segmental arch door opening leading into the central stairhall with a dining room to the rear. The first and second floors of each house consisted of a pair of bedrooms separated by a staircase and landing. The third floor or attic originally served as domestic servants' quarters. There was an earlier timber-framed range attached to the rear of no. 83. that was extended during the mid-C19. This range was demolished during the C20/C21 and replaced by the existing small single-storey brick extension. The rear extension to no. 84 appears to have been built post-1845 on the footprint of an earlier range in the same location. The two-storey structure was built using a combination of brick, and brick-and-flint rubble. The walls on the north elevation were built in brick whereas the south and east walls were built in brick, and brick-and-flint rubble (S1).